BSc (Hons) Agriculture

If you want to progress into an agricultural management career, helping to find solutions to the world’s most pressing issue of food production, then this is the ideal course for you.

You don’t need to have an agricultural background, you simply need the passion and drive to make that difference.

You’ll learn how to build a productive, resilient and sustainable industry – whether as a farm manager, agronomist, economist, policymaker, researcher, scientist or consultant – career opportunities are diverse.

Extensive industry experience, an on-campus commercial farm that works with Muller, Sainsbury’s and Glencore, as well as a £2 million agricultural technology centre (Agri-Tech) will prepare you to make a positive impact to the future.

You’ll have access to 400 hectares of commercial farmland, offering plenty of opportunities to get hands on. This, alongside real-world business briefs and industry placements means you’ll graduate ready for employment.

What you will study

Our curriculum is informed by industry, with business management embedded throughout. This makes our students cutting edge, providing unparalleled learning experiences, and ensuring they make the best connections out there.

You’ll learn about crop and livestock management systems – developing your expertise across the full supply chain, from farm to fork. On the livestock side, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your expertise of individual production systems including ruminant production (dairy, beef and sheep) and mono-gastric production (pig and poultry).

Within crop production, you’ll learn how to manage soil to optimise quality and yield. You’ll explore new technologies including plant breeding techniques and genetically modified organisms (GMO) and have the opportunity to design and implement nutrient management plans to maximise crop growth.

Business modules in your second year will introduce you to the latest farm management practices. This will prepare you to progress into a farming business environment or develop your own enterprise.

Industry opportunities
You’ll benefit from up to 980 hours working in the industry as part of your degree. This includes a supported work placement during each year of study that counts as credits towards your degree.

On top of this, you could undertake an integrated placement year (a year working in industry) after your second year, which will help prepare you to make the most of your final year of study.

Students work with businesses such as Tesco, Foyle Food Group, Agrii, NFU, and LEAF farms, as well as internationally in New Zealand, Uganda and the USA. They experience different farm management practices across different industries, developing valuable experience and industry connections, ready for their careers.

Alongside extensive work experience, you’ll have access to leading industry professionals and projects through our on campus Agri-Tech Centre. A joint project with the Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (GFirst LEP), the centre connects Gloucestershire’s livestock farming community with smart technologies to help drive forward the county’s productivity and sustainability.

Learning and assessment
This programme comprises of different modules, which focus on specific subjects. The modular structure of the programme gives you flexibility and choice and you can attend introductory sessions for optional modules before having to finally decide which ones you wish to study. You will be assessed through a mixture of written exams, practical exams and coursework. Many of the modules will be marked based on a mixture of assessment types, whilst others will be based solely on one type of assessment.

Graduate destinations
As a Hartpury agriculture graduate, you could progress into a range of careers including:

Agronomist
Policy and research
Farm manager
Food security and safety
Agricultural consultancy